9 Tips To Help Us Focus

For those of us who don’t—which is most everyone

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” This quote by Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” says so much and is so often neglected.

The idea is to always keep in mind what is primary, secondary and still lower in importance. In our over-committed, technological world, this is easier said than done. We are barraged with demands, requests, obligations, promises and desires that distract us from what’s central. Not to mention any of our bad habits that keep us from doing what’s most important. 

Therefore, here is your official cheat sheet to keep the main thing the main thing... or, at the very least, a way to view your life through a more focused lens.

1. Consciously decide what really matters. Or do nothing. 

It sounds paradoxical, but doing nothing can actually help us to decide what really matters. 

Consider what some of the greatest minds that grace our planet have done: DO NOTHING. 

Bill Gates made this concept famous by taking a “Think Week,” where he would retreat twice a year—not vacations, but actually dedicated periods of time to do nothing. He attributes some of Microsoft’s biggest ideas to pursuing this practice. 

Incorporating time for reflection and contemplation allows us to connect to what’s most important to us. 

2. Attend to a balanced body state

Have you noticed when we’re agitated or emotionally overwhelmed, it’s so much harder to focus? This is because our body state is a function of our nervous system. When we sense danger, our bodies shut down mentally, physically and emotionally for survival. We may experience fight-or-flight symptoms, or we may faint, because our nervous systems are overwhelmed. What’s more, our nervous systems are shaped by language. Check it out for yourself . . . say a word and see how your body reacts. 

The ability to control our body state contributes to our skillfulness in achieving what is most important at any given moment.  

Daily journaling, meditation, nature walks and how we speak to ourselves are some of the simplest and most effective ways that we can manage our physical state. 

3. Tend to your “To-Do-List” each night before going to bed

If you don’t have a “To-Do-List” then it’s time to start one. Prioritize what is most important first, then the secondary item and so on through the lower priorities. Each night before bed, check, update and modify your list accordingly. 

It’s amazing how daily monitoring of our progress keeps our attention focused.  

4. Set your intention each day

How true is the phrase “Where the attention goes the energy flows?” Setting a daily intention offers us the opportunity to stay committed to our desired outcome. It provides us benchmarks in order to meet our needs and goals as they arise each day. 

5. Keep things clean and organized 

Bills, receipts, tax documents, junk mail, digital files and photos amount to an endless stream of content that flows through our lives. To be a functioning human being requires us to create and maintain systems of organization. If not, clutter becomes postponed decisions.  

“Taming The Paper Tiger” by Barbara Hemphill offers practical solutions to control content flow and digital clutter. If organizing isn’t your thing, delegate or hire it out. 

6. Unplug and know your limits

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus, the king of Ephyra, was punished for his deceitfulness by being forced to push a large boulder up a mountain, only to find it waiting at the bottom again the next day. 

Busyness from texting and social media can make us feel like Sisyphus. The harder we work, and the more we do, the less impact we may feel we have. The Sisyphean effect reminds us to opt out of the laboriousness and futility of trying to keep up in our 24/7 digital world. 

Unplugging allows us to experience a true connection with ourselves and with others. We might also find that looking up instead of down enriches our lives. 

7. Stop oversharing 

Not every single person online or in your personal life needs to know every detail about our lives. Our time is precious. Oversharing can zap us—and the recipients—of emotional and physical energy that could be spent towards what really matters. 

Certainly, if you have something to share that will connect you with another person or brighten their day, go for it. If not, leave well enough alone and stay focused on the task at hand.

8. Take responsibility and be accountable

Woody Allen said: “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” How can you show up every day for what matters most to you? 

Being accountable for our lives doesn’t just happen. It has to be implemented. Avoiding responsibility puts us in spectator mode. Taking ownership of what we want to make possible for ourselves puts us into solution mode. 

9. Self-Care takes time  

We can’t expect to be productive if we’re living in a state of burnout. The reality is, we might be doing so many things that we’re actually not doing anything. 

Self-care takes time. Exercise, meditation, getting enough sleep and good nutrition can’t be delegated. The rewards of taking responsibility for our self-care returns in more peace of mind and greater productivity. 

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” This cheat sheet could continue, but as we can see, living from focused attention takes work. At the very least we can start by faking it until we make it.